You’re probably here because you want the best for your cat. They truly deserve it when it comes to food. But researching cat food brands is tedious and navigating long lists of ingredients can become tiresome. Being a responsible cat owner is hard. In this article we will try to make life easier for you by giving an honest review: Is Nulo cat food actually good for your cat?
The struggle is real, there are just too many options out there. Perhaps you haven’t found the right, the most perfect cat food in your local pet store. You may also have noticed that even within the same brand, the cat food quality can be inconsistent. The cause lies in the ingredients. They are extremely important in determining your cat’s wellbeing. And if the cat food is balanced well, your kitty will meow for more.
So how good is Nulo cat food at balancing its ingredients? Let’s find out!
Is Nulo cat food good for your cat?
The short answer is yes, the Nulo cat food is generally good because it maintains a high percentage of meat proteins in its products, and they are packed with essential nutrients. That alone is great for your cat. Nulo states that their products are typically free from grains, carrageenan, meat by-products, corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, colors and artificial flavorings. But we will dive deeper to see what’s on the ingredients label.
About Nulo pet food brand
The story of the Nulo brand started with an actual personal journey of its brand owner Michael Landa and his labrador Max. He could not find a pet sitter for Max, so he decided to drive to Colorado so that Max could come with him. While driving across the states with his friend, he had plenty of time to contemplate the current state of the petcare options.
While growing his petcare business he got faced with the many trends in the petcare world. It was a surprising amount of pets with diabetes that needed administration of insulin that got him thinking if perhaps the pet food was the root cause of the problem. This led to the start of the Nulo pet food brand, which has both dog and cat food options.
About the Nulo cat food formula
The first green flag about Nulo is that the pet food ingredients are sourced locally. Mainly from North America, France and New Zealand. All of their plant-based ingredients and vitamins get tested for quality from their sources. The majority of Nulo’s products are manufactured in the United States except for the wet cat food pouches, which are manufactured in Thailand.
Nulo cat food review – How good is it?
Below you will find our honest review of the 2 most popular Nulo products on their webshop. Medalseries minced turkey & duck recipe in gravy and Freestyle high-protein kibble trim salmon & lentils recipe.
Medalseries Minced Turkey and Duck in gravy
This Nulo product is a canned gravy that is composed of minced turkey & duck recipe. It’s a great option for the cat because it’s wet food, as close as it can possibly get to its diet in the wild. Cats are amazing at extracting their daily moisture needs from their meals. Wet food ensures that your cat stays hydrated and satiated.
Medalseries Turkey and Duck in gravy comes in 3 oz or 85-gram cans.
The key ingredients:
Turkey and Duck broth, Turkey Liver, Duck: High-quality protein sources.
Dried Egg Whites: Additional protein and nutrient content.
Carrots, Dried Ground Peas, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Blueberries: Natural sources of vitamins and antioxidants.
Ground Flaxseed, Flaxseed Oil: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids for skin and coat health.
Guar Gum: Acts as a thickening agent.
Taurine: Essential for feline health.
Yucca Schidigera Extract, Inulin: Supports digestive health.
Essential vitamins for overall well-being, such as D-calcium pantothenate, Vitamin D3, B12 Supplements.
The formula also contains valuable minerals for optimal absorption, such as Iron and Zinc Proteinate. The full list of ingredients can be found here.
The recipe in this product has a strong focus on natural animal proteins and essential nutrients. It is free from grain and has a balanced recipe that promotes hydration and overall feline health.
Customer voices on Nulo’s Turkey & Duck in gravy
Positive Reviews
Yum
All three of my cats love this. They are all typical picky eaters. A food all of them like is rare. I feed both minced and shredded types. Shredded is the favorite. But they snarf up minced to – By Sarah on Feb 3, 2024
They love the Turkey and Duck!
Some of our cats have food sensitivities to chicken and fish, so this is working well for them so far. – By Tara on Jan 2, 2024
One of the only can foods my picky cats will eat
I feel like I’ve tried all the healthier brands for my two kittens and this is the only one they finish every time. They will usually leave food on the plate with other foods but they ate every bite of this and even licked the plate clean (of course I gave them more since they are growing but my point is this has never happened and I’ve tried so many different foods!) – By Elicia on Dec 12, 2023
Good stuff
This was my first order. My cats like it..I mean they are not crazy about it that’s why I gave it 4 stars. I will try another flavor next time. – By iracema on Sep 29, 2023
Negative Reviews
Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No
I am giving 3 stars only because the initial cases I bought were a hit. When I first gave this nulo turkey with duck to my 3 ragdoll kitties they loved it and gobbled it down. The minced bits were mixed with a nice portion of gravy. It smelled like I would even like it. However the item was out of stock for quite some time. I ran out of this food and ordered quickly as soon as it came back into stock.The new order that I received in March 2022 the cans are very dry, little or no gravy, and there are holes of varying size in the middle of the can so the can is not full. My cats will not eat this new order and I have brought in 4 cases. They sniff and walk away. The food does not smell good any longer. I had ordered one case from another supplier since Chewy was out of stock. That case was fine and the cats all ate it. That tells me it is a quality control issue with Nulo, as others have posted. Buying healthy, consistent cat food is so frustrating. I am getting ready to cook my own. – By BeeL on Apr 2, 2022
Not quite the same
My local pet store sells this same food. We were so happy to also find it on Chewy because I have a very picky cat who only likes certain foods. The can is the same, but there is a lot more gravy and it is more chunky than the pet store can. My other cat eats anything so it will get eaten, but I was disappointed that it was not the same consistency. – By PickyKitty on Sep 11, 2022
Freestyle high-protein kibble trim salmon & lentils recipe
Achieving and maintaining a lean physique can pose a greater challenge for certain feline companions. The Nulo FreeStyle™ Adult Trim formula tackles that challenge.
Their grain-free blend of salmon and lentils not only supplies essential proteins and amino acids but also features increased fiber content and reduced fat calories compared to other recipes. Noteworthy additions include L-Carnitine, promoting efficient fat metabolism.
It’s found to be ideal for all cat breeds and sizes, striving to provide nutrition for a healthy feline body weight.
Key ingredients:
Deboned Salmon: High-quality protein source.
Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal: Additional protein components.
Whole Peas, Lentils: Rich in fiber, contributing to a balanced diet.
Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid): Provides essential fatty acids.
L-Carnitine: Supports efficient fat metabolism.
Taurine: Essential for feline health.
Zinc Proteinate: Chelated minerals for optimal absorption.
Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C): Antioxidants for immune support.
Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product: Probiotic for digestive health.
If you would like to read a more detailed analysis of the ingredients, you can check out Nulo’s list of ingredients for Freestyle high-protein kibble trim salmon & lentils recipe.
This formula is a well-rounded blend, prioritizing lean protein, fiber, and essential nutrients to aid in feline weight management and overall well-being.
Where to buy Nulo cat food from?
If you are curious about where to buy the Nulo cat food from, it would be available in several independent pet retailers as well as PetSmart stores. If you’d like to order it online, you can order the products via Chewy, Amazon and Petsmart.com. As well as directly from the Nulo website.
Why we recommend it?
Based on our analysis of the ingredients it is good.
What do others think of Kibble Trim Salmon & Lentils ?
Positive Reviews
Nulo is the Best !
Our cats have been eating Nulo Adult Trim as a supplement to their Nulo Salmon & Mackerel and Nulo Beef & Lamb Pâtés. They love all three 🧡🧡 🧡. I have been buying Nulo products since they were first marketed. – By Vince in April, 2024
My cat begs for food more now that we switched to this food!
I mix this food with her prescription sensitive stomach food from the vet. She loves it and begs for more! Lol. – By Dalenna, in 2022
Both of my girls love Nulo
I decided it was time to switch to something that was healthier for my cats. They were hesitant at first, but they love the Nulo mixed with Natural Balance. My underweight cat has put on the weight she needed while my other stayed at a healthy weight – By Caitlyn, in 2023
Negative Reviews
Very disappointed.
I’ve been a Nulo customer for a while but the last bags I purchased were full of kibbles powder and those huge kibbles. I contacted Nulo customer service who was great and sent me new bags of food. But I keep having the same issues. Something must be wrong with the production line. It’s too bad because it’s a great product that my cats like. I’ll have to switch because I don’t want to sift the entire bag every time I buy cat food and those huge kibbles may break their automatic food dispensers. – By Marion on Apr 10, 2024
Good quality – but no good if the cat won’t eat it!
PROS: Excellent ingredients, trial size bags, low carb (for a diet dry food), money back guarantee, RESEALABLE bags (why do so many food manufacturers not put zips on their bags!?!?) CONS: Tiny kibble size/unappetizing to food-obsessed cat (kind of a deal breaker!) RECOMMENDATIONS: attach photo of the kibble size and shape so buyers know beforehand I have a 4-5 year old rescue cat that was overweight (15 lbs) when I adopted her. I got her down to a good weight, then the dry food she was on had a formula change. She put the weight back on. Combined with my 2nd cat, who was underweight at the shelter and needed to put on weight, it’s been a rough few months for my bigger cat. Of course my older cat wants the high calorie food instead, so I was hoping to find something she loved so much, she’d ignore the other cat’s food. Nulo has great packaging and ingredients and this seemed a good formula fit. At first my cat was interested and ate it right up. But when I put a little bit more out (to do a slow transition) she hesitated. The issue? The kibble are extremely small. Like smaller than a bay aspirin, and my cat would pick the kibble up, roll them around in her mouth, and then drop them again. She likes to crunch on her dry food, so I think she was unhappy these were too small to break up. I would be willing to try another Nulo food that had regular sized pieces, but since this diet food was not a hit, I’m off to try another brand’s diet food before circling back around. – By K Thurn, in 2020
Cats don’t like it.
Bought this hoping my cats would like it nope they are not a fan. So the hunt of kibble continue. They like the wet food but not the kibble. – By Sunshine on Mar 26, 2022
The bottom line about the Nulo cat food
Nulo seems like a better brand than what can be found on average in the stores. They openly provide information on their ingredients and make an emphasis on the quality of their cat food nutrition content. The ingredients used in Nulo products appear to be of high quality do not contain grain and unhealthy fillers. Based on the customer reviews, Nulo’s main minus is that there is inconsistency in product quality. It seems to depend on the manufacturer. Some customers reported some of the batches they bought to have a strange odor, while others from different providers were well-received by the cats.
Overall Nulo is a great choice for most cats. Of course it’s important to keep in mind each cat’s individual needs and it would be best to consult a veterinarian in case your fluffy friend has any dietary guidelines. If you want to find out how to navigate food options for your cat, you can check out our article Choose The Best Food for Your Cat.
